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2017 Rocky Mountain Slayer 770 MSL
(discontinued)

Vital Rating:
Discontinued
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Rocky Mountain
27.5
26+
Test Sessions
Tested
Enduro
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Review - 2017 Rocky Mountain Slayer from Vital MTB Test Sessions
Relatively few riders will be able to put the incredible-looking new Slayer to good use, but those that can will love it for its capability in steep and rowdy terrain.
Rating:
Vital Review
s1600 RockyA 991924
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bturman
4/27/2017 8:42pm

9 comments

Post a reply to: Review - 2017 Rocky Mountain Slayer from Vital MTB Test Sessions

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dirtworks911
6 years ago
Vital, it you had a single "do it all" bike and come from a DH/freeride background, still loving to send it into the chunder and hucking jumps and drops but also need it to get you up the hill (doesn't need to be too quickly) would you choose the new Slayer or new Tracer?
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TRex
6 years ago
Between those two, the Tracer or the Slayer, I'd go slayer for sure. The tracer is more efficient, and the Slayer can be ridden more like the DH/freeride background you're familiar with.
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David.Max
6 years ago
It's interesting to see how different people can experience the same bike. My time on the Slayer was limited to a single test run in Squamish, but I found it was a bike I could just jump on and go. The demo bike was set in its slackest setting and I was concerned that climbing might be a handful, but I didn't really find it hard to keep the front end down and the taunt pedal response meant that I could just put the power down and it would zip up the trail. On the way down I actually found it to be quite sprightly and playful, responding really well to rider input and picking up speed as I pumped terrain. I felt like my weight was well balanced and centred on the bike and I didn't really experience the front wheel pushing that you mentioned.

I wonder how much of my experience is dependant on the bike that I was coming from and fit? I've been riding a generation 3 Nomad for the past 2 seasons and I am quite used to the slack head angle when it comes to climbing. On the Slayer I didn't have any more issues keeping the front wheel in check than on the Nomad and I found the steeper seat angle and the efficient pedalling to make the job easier overall. Likewise, on the way down I found the Slayer was more willing to dance around the trail and respond to rider input than my Nomad, which I would describe as a bit of a 'plow bike.' Previously, I'd never really thought of my Nomad as being 'mushy,' but that is the word that stuck with me when switching back to it after riding the Slayer.

It could be that fit was a big portion of my experience. I'm 6'3" tall with a 38" inseam and long arms. I've never really had the opportunity to upsize a bike, and looking back on it many of the bikes I rode in the past were simply to small. The trend towards longer, lower, and slacker has been a blessing for me and each time I get on a bigger bike it tends to feel better. At the time I bought the Nomad it was on the cresting wave of the new geometry, but since then bikes have continued to grow. The measurements on an XL Slayer effectively make it just about a size bigger than my XL Nomad. The taller stack in particular really seemed to help feel at home on the bike straight away.

Anyhow, I really appreciate your honest reviews and that you call it as you see it, but I just wanted to offer something of a contrasting perspective, albeit based on a much shorter time on the bike.
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TRex
6 years ago
David, we think your experience is similar to what we have experienced. Your note about suspension feel is very accurate, as in the Nomad is more vague in the middle of the stroke. The Slayer feels easier to move around because of a more even leverage curve, but it feels more linear than the graphs would indicate. As the review stated, the tunes are different for medium/small/large, which seems rather arbitrary to us. Just because someone is small doesn't mean they need less ramp or compression, and just because they are big does not mean they want a more progressive ride. Given those assumptions, you were on a more progressive shock and we were on a less progressive one, which would accurately explain our differences in feeling.

From our perspective, it sounds like your Slayer might have been on the slightly stiffer end of the setup spectrum(maybe just a coupe percent?), but of course, personal preference can really be the most important factor here. The Slayer is more nimble than the Nomad V3 with small movements, given that the Nomad has a less responsive mid-stroke. On the flip side, the Nomad keeps awesome traction anywhere around the sag point. Trade offs all around, but your decision should go back to what you want. Do you want a more nimble ride that you have to move around and weight properly? Go Slayer. Do you stay relatively centered and not want to worry about moving too much? Then we would take the Nomad.
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JDendy
6 years ago
So would you consider the Pivot Firechicken to to be more versatile than the Slayer in the trails ridden?
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kperras
6 years ago
Hey Guys, thought I'd add a few comments on the technical details of the bike. The upper shock hardware is designed with an inner sleeve (small part #7), like a thru-axle front hub, to prevent binding if the upper shock bolt is over-torqued. I've attached a photo of the set-up. http://s61.photobucket.com/user/kperras/media/image001_zpse9wg3tvs.jpg…

The cause of the above binding issue can come from a number of sources: the bearings are not pressed in all the way and the inner bearing races are not making contact with the sleeve, the sleeve is missing, the sleeve is out of tolerance.

Truthfully, this is the first production bearing eyelet I've heard of binding but the fix is simple: we work closely with shops to diagnose the issues and send out replacement parts quickly. All of the Slayers from our launch in August 2016 are still in use today, either under long term tests or now residing in demo fleets across North America, and no upper shock bearing eyelets have been replaced yet.

Regarding the nature of the bike, the Slayer's DNA comes from the Maiden and as such it performs best when ridden like a downhill bike. We realize that riders considering a Slayer are looking for one bike to replace both a trail bike and a downhill bike and such it was designed to climb efficiently to the top and descend with maximum capability on technical terrain. If a rider is more Trail oriented, then I would suggest the new Altitude as a suitable choice.
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supercollider
6 years ago
@kperras, would it be crazy to run this bike with 160 travel up front? My thinking is, with the great pedalling, I can keep it a little steeper and shorter for the typical trail/rowdy trail days around my area, but bump the fork (fox 36- not hard to do) up to 170 for the weekends at the park. Thanks.
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Specifications

Product
Rocky Mountain Slayer 770 MSL
Model Year
2017
Riding Type
Enduro / All-Mountain
Freeride / Bike Park
Rider
Unisex
Sizes and Geometry
S
M
L
XL
Wheel Size
27.5" (650b)
Frame Material
Carbon Fiber
Frame Material Details
Smoothwall Carbon C13 Frame. Full Sealed Cartridge Bearings. Internal Cable Routing.
Rear Travel
165mm
Rear Shock
RockShox Super Deluxe Debonair RC3
Fork
RockShox Lyrik RCT3
Fork Travel
170mm
Head Tube Diameter
Tapered
Headset
FSA Orbit NO.57E
Handlebar
Race Face Atlas 780mm
Stem
Rocky Mountain AM
Grips
Rocky Mountain Lock-On XC
Brakes
Shimano XT Ice-Tech, 203mm / 180mm Rotors
Brake Levers
Shimano XT
Drivetrain
1x
Shifters
Shimano XT
Front Derailleur
N/A
Rear Derailleur
Shimano XT, 11-Speed
ISCG Tabs
ISCG 05
Chainguide
Rocky Mountain Micro Guide / e*thirteen Bash
Cranks
Race Face Turbine Cinch
Chainrings
32 Tooth
Bottom Bracket
Race Face Cinch, Press Fit BB92
Pedals
N/A
Chain
Shimano HG-700
Cassette
Shimano XT, 11-46 Tooth
Rims
Stan's ZTR Flow Tubeless Ready
Hubs
Shimano XT Boost 15mm Front / Shimano XT Boost 148mm Rear
Spokes
WTB 1.8-1.6
Tires
Maxxis DHF 27.5 X 2.5 Folding
Saddle
WTB Silverado Race
Seatpost
RockShox Reverb Stealth
Seatpost Diameter
30.9mm
Seatpost Clamp
Standard
Rear Dropout / Hub Dimensions
Boost 148mm
Max. Tire Size
27.5x2.5" Wide Trail or 26x3.0"
Bottle Cage Mounts
Yes
Colors
Black/Yellow, Black/Red
Warranty
5 Year Limited
Weight
29 lb 6.2 oz (13,330 g)
Miscellaneous
 
Price
$5,799.00
More Info

​Rocky Mountain Website

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Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply.
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International shipping available. Some exclusions apply.
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